Paul Pierce: Passing Larry Bird on Celtics' scoring list a relief

Paul Pierce wasn't playing like someone who was about to pass Larry Bird as No. 2 on the Boston Celtics' all-time scoring list. He entered Tuesday night's game against the Charlotte Bobcats needing just 10 points to reach the milestone, but had just seven at halftime.

“I'm not going to lie. It was hanging over my head too much,” Pierce said. “You kind of just felt it. It was hard to really ignore it and just focus on the game.”

Relief came in the form a three-pointer from the top of the key at the 10:23 mark of the third quarter, lifting Pierce past Bird's career tally of 21,791 to become the second all-time scorer in the history of the storied franchise. Pierce received a standing ovation from the Boston crowd, with the applause lasting for several minutes as teammate Kevin Garnett waved the crowd on for more.

“It was a relief. So much was hanging over me the last couple of days. Just hearing about it and knowing that you've got a game to play,” Pierce said. “Just to be mentioned with [Bird], with this organization, is a great honor.”

Pierce has spent all 14 years of his NBA career with the Celtics, enduring losing seasons in six of his first nine years with the team before winning the league championship in 2008. He was named the MVP of the NBA Finals that year.

“Paul had a chance to leave us when we were bad and instead of moaning that he wanted to go to a championship team, he stayed,” Coach Doc Rivers said. “And he said, `I simply want to be a Celtic and I trust that we're going to win a title someday.'"

Pierce finished with 15 points in the Celtics' 94-84 victory over the Bobcats, giving him 21,797 career points. He still has a long way to go before passing John Havlicek's all-time team record of 26,395 points ... and that's just fine with Pierce.

“I think the fans would really appreciate another championship more than me passing Hondo,” he said.

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-- Chuck Schilken

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Paul Pierce is hugged by Kevin Garnett after becoming the No. 2 all-time Celtics scorer. Credit: Elise Amendola / Associated Press

L.A.'s greatest sports moments No. 8: Lakers finally beat Celtics

We asked you to send in your picks for the greatest sports moments in L.A. history, and 1,181 ballots later we are unveiling the top 20 vote-getters. Each weekday we will unveil a new moment until we reach No. 1.

No. 8: Lakers defeat Celtics in 1985 NBA Finals (3,141 points)

The championship trophy in hand, owner Jerry Buss made a statement Lakers fans had waited a lifetime to hear.

"This has removed the most odious sentence in the English language," Buss told a national television audience at the conclusion of the 1985 championship series with Boston. "It can never again be said that the Lakers have never beaten the Celtics."

Buss could be forgiven for repeating a negative, because until the 1984-85 season, little the Lakers had experienced against the Celtics was positive.

They had played Boston eight times in the finals and had lost every time. They lost once as the Minneapolis Lakers and seven times as the L.A. Lakers. Four times they lost in Game 7, including the 1984 series, when the Lakers blew two games in which they had the lead and the ball in the final minute of regulation.

The Lakers finally found redemption 12 months later, although the finals started with as bad a loss as any Lakers fan could have imagined. The Celtics won the opener at the Boston Garden, 148-114, in a game known as the Memorial Day Massacre.

But just when it appeared that Boston had L.A.'s number again, the Lakers showed their championship mettle. They won Game 2 in Boston, 109-102, behind an inspired performance by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Looking much older than his 38 years, Abdul-Jabbar scored only 12 points and had three rebounds in Game 1 and was badly outplayed by Robert Parish. In Game 2, the Lakers' captain scored 30 points and had 17 rebounds.

The series shifted to the Forum for three games, the Lakers winning Game 3 in a rout (136-111), the Celtics taking Game 4 on a shot at the buzzer by Dennis Johnson (107-105) and the Lakers grabbing the series edge in Game 5 (120-111).

Back in Boston, the Lakers were determined to end the series in Game 6 and not face another seventh game. So on a Sunday afternoon before a shocked sellout crowd, the Lakers said goodbye to more than a quarter of a century of frustration.

With Abdul-Jabbar scoring 29 points and Magic Johnson adding a triple-double (14 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists), the Lakers beat the Celtics, 111-100, to win the NBA title. Abdul-Jabbar, who averaged 25.7 points and nine rebounds a game, was the series' most valuable player.

"We got the monkey off our backs at last," said forward James Worthy, who averaged 23.7 points in the finals. "The hurt is gone."

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No. 11: Lakers win first title in L.A.

No. 12: Dodgers first game in L.A.

No. 13: Marcus Allen's Super Bowl run

No. 14: Lakers win 33 in a row

No. 15: Robert Horry's game-winner

No. 16: Honoring Roy Campanella

No. 17: Miracle on Manchester

No. 18: Lakers three-peat

No. 19: Rick Monday saves the flag

No. 20: Kobe to Shaq alley-oop

-- Hans Tesselaar

Photo: The Lakers celebrate after defeating Boston in the 1985 NBA Finals. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Doc Rivers agrees to a five-year deal to remain with Boston Celtics

Doc Rivers has agreed to a five-year deal to remain coach of the Boston Celtics, the team announced Friday.

Rivers' existing contract was set to expire at the end of this season and earlier this season said he planned to take a break from coaching.

However, the 49-year-old changed his mind and Celtics president Danny Ainge told the team's website that Rivers would return for the 2011-12 season.

No further details of the new deal were disclosed.  

Rivers was one of the people speculated to coach the Lakers, so everyone can cross him off their list. Which is good, because Rivers coaching the Lakers would have been like Robert E. Lee switching sides and leading the Union troops midway through the Civil War.

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-- Houston Mitchell

 Photo: Doc Rivers. Credit: Joe Skipper / Reuters.

Question of the Day: Can the Celtics come back and beat the Heat in their series? [Updated]

Writers from around the Tribune Co. discuss the Miami Heat's 2-0 series lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Check back throughout the day for more responses, vote in the poll, and feel free to weigh in with a question of your own.

Paul Doyle, Hartford Courant

What we’ve learned after two games is that Miami’s Big Three look to be in championship form and Boston’s Big Three look, well, old. And with the Heat possessing home-court advantage, it’s hard to envision the Celtics winning this series.

That’s not to say Boston won’t make it interesting. The Celtics are too good and too experienced to fade away meekly, and it’s conceivable that Boston could will itself to win all the games on its home parquet and push this series to the limit.

But the younger, more energetic Heat will win a Game 7 in Miami. Sorry, but LeBron and D-Wade are peaking. They won’t be denied in a decisive home game if it comes to that -- especially against a group of battered 30-somethings.

Celtics talking hoops with President Obama

There was something on the mind of one major Chicago Bulls fans, and he got the chance to ask the Celtics about their former assistant coach Tom Thibodeau, who is now coaching the Bulls.

“He actually thanked us, for giving them our guy," said the Celtics' Ray Allen. " 'How did you guys let that guy go?' "

In this case, the fan in question was President Obama. Allen and several other Celtics, including Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, as well as Coach Doc Rivers,  were invited to meet Obama at a fundraiser at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on Tuesday night. 

Said Rivers: "He thanked us for Tibs. He talked a lot about the Bulls, I will say that....He asked me if I needed anything. When a president asks you that,  you could say a lot of things. I just told him I’d like to secure a date to see him again. That’d be nice."

There was, according to Allen, an amusing exchange when Obama put Garnett on the spot. Allen was chatting with reporters shortly before the Clippers-Celtics game here on Wednesday night.

"You’ve got to ask Kevin," Allen said. "He [Obama] kind of jabbed Kevin about throwing out elbows at his guys, being the Chicago Bulls. Kevin had to answer that question from the President of the United States."

So what did Garnett say to the president?

"You have to ask him what he said," Allen said. "Yep, he [Obama] is watching Kevin."

-- Lisa Dillman in Boston

Celtics send Kendrick Perkins, Nate Robinson to Thunder for Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic

The Boston Celtics on Thursday broke up their 2008 championship starting lineup by agreeing to trade center Kendrick Perkins, 26, and backup guard Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for forward Jeff Green, 24, and center Nenad Krstic.

The NBA's trade deadline was noon PST Thursday.

Perkins recently turned down a long-term contract from Boston and will become a free agent after this season. In Green, the Celtics get a young athletic forward who can fill in at small forward for Paul Pierce and play power forward too.

Meanwhile, the athletic Thunder were undersized and wanted to add some height in their frontcourt. Besides getting Perkins, they have apparently reached a deal to acquire veteran center Nazr Mohammed in a swap with Charlotte.

-- Barry Stavro

Photo: Kendrick Perkins. Credit: Greg M. Cooper / US Presswire